Well, folks, strap yourselves in because we’re about to take a deep dive into the captivating world of cocktail craftsmanship. Get ready to meet the industry’s most daring mixology mavericks – the innovators and visionaries who are shaking up (pun intended) the beverage landscape and redefining what it means to be a true cocktail connoisseur.
Marcing the Maverick
Let’s start off by introducing you to Marcis, a bartending legend with over 15 years of experience under his belt. This guy has graced the bars of some of London’s most iconic watering holes, including Satans Whiskers, Dandelyan, 69 Colebrooke Row, and Sager & Wilde. And if that wasn’t enough, in 2020 he co-founded idyll, a consultancy company with its own canned soft drink made with foraged douglas fir and scots pine. Marcis is a true force to be reckoned with, known for his extraordinary ability to create the most delicious drinks like, ever. With his fiancée Megan and their corgi Mavis by his side, this mixology maverick is an absolute gem in the industry.
Tequila Trailblazer
Next up, we have Fany, the Commercial Director for Tequila Ocho and a sixth-generation tequilera and agavera. Based in Arandas, Jalisco, Fany has been involved in the tequila business since she was 15 years old, and her family has been making 100% agave tequila since 1890. As the daughter of renowned tequila maker Carlos Camarena, Fany is the first woman in her family to take on the family business – talk about breaking the mold! This trailblazer is shaking up the industry, one sip at a time.
Capturing the Moment
Now, let’s shift our focus to the talented Lucy Pallett-Jones, a bartender and analogue photographer whose photographic work seeks to capture the powerful moments created by people behind bars. In her own words, “I don’t have countless accolades to list for you, but I do have a series called Silk and Grit.” Bartending has given Lucy an innate sense of self, and we can’t wait to see what other creative endeavors she takes on in the future.
Northern Charm
Jake, a top three contestant for everyone’s favorite northerner, has an impressive CV that includes stints at Callooh Callay, Three Sheets, Liverpool’s Present Company, and the American Bar at The Savoy. Newly engaged and currently more writer than bartender, Jake lives in East London with his fiancé Flora and their dog baby Milhouse. If you’re looking for a funny, informative, and entrancing bedtime story, be sure to check out his podcast, “Over the Bar.”
Indigenous Advocate
LA-born Chockie is a bartender and brand ambassador who recently relocated to London with her cat, Bacon. Connecting her Pomo and Paiute heritage with her advocacy work, Chockie brings a unique perspective to an industry that has historically lacked indigenous representation. Best known for her innovative cocktail-building techniques, event art, and her work with Doom Tiki, which raises funds for communities dealing with the effects of colonization, Chockie is the first indigenous American cocktail book author in American history – a true trailblazer!
Founding Father
Drinks writer John deBary started bartending at PDT in 2008 before making the move to Momofuku Ssäm Bar, where he finished as Bar Director for the group. In 2017, he founded the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, launched Proteau – a line of zero-proof botanical drinks – in 2019, and published his first book, “Drink What You Want,” in 2020. This industry veteran is clearly not one to rest on his laurels, as he continues to leave an indelible mark on the bartending world.
Activist Extraordinaire
As Grey Goose ambassador for NYC, Chris (they/them) works tirelessly to drive conversations around equality and diversity within the bar industry, combining activism with on-trade events to challenge preconceptions and drive real change. In 2019, Chris conducted TOTC’s first-ever LGBTQ seminar, and this year, they were inducted into Drinks International’s Top 100 Most Influential. Hailing from San Francisco, Chris resides in the city that never sleeps with their partner and co-contributor, Ash Haussermann.
Weaving Tradition
Tabara is the founder of La Basketry, a lifestyle brand offering handwoven homeware and accessories made in collaboration with female artisans in Senegal. The French entrepreneur turned her back on a successful career in the hospitality events industry in 2017 to launch a business that would reconnect her to her Senegalese roots. La Basketry’s range has been stocked at the world-renowned Victoria & Albert museum, and Tabara has most recently released her first book, “Baskets,” which has since been published in six languages.
Multifaceted Maven
Originally from Baltimore by way of New York, where she spent her formative years bartending, Ali has been in London for nearly a decade. The former Global Brand Ambassador for Belvedere Vodka turned (self-proclaimed) failed restaurateur now heads up the UK advocacy team at Brown-Forman and is also the mother to twin toddlers – an exhausting job for sure, someone get this woman a medal!
Midas Touch
Known as Mr. Lyan, Ryan is renowned for excelling at – well – basically everything. Captain at Dandelyan and White Lyan (RIP Lyaness, Super Lyan, Cub, and Silver Lyan), Ryan has two published books, the Mr. Lyan Studio bottled cocktails, a Masterclass tutorial, a load of crystal plates, and a cat called Batman. And as if that wasn’t enough, he happens to be a really nice guy – the cherry on top!
Serial Award Winner
The bar world is still reeling from Alex’s 4-year winning streak at World’s 50 Best Bars back in 2015. Never one to rest on his laurels, Alex co-founded Pour Symposium in 2016 and opened Tayer + Elementary with his partner Monica Berg in 2019. Alex has been named Best International Bartender by TOTC, Bar Personality of The Year by Imbibe, and Innovator of The Year by Class Magazine. Oh, and he has his own liqueur, Muyu, a range of branded sweaters, a cordial called Paragon, and has consulted on projects around the world – this guy is a veritable industry titan!
Tequila Trailblazer
Isis Hernández is the general manager at the only independent tasting room in Tequila – La Cata. She has managed restaurants in the United States and Mexico, where she spent the last seven years as captain at Casa Luna. Isis grew up in Ameca on the far side of the Valley of Tequila, has lived most of her life in California and Tlaquepaque, and is a die-hard Guadalajara Chivas fan.
Trash Tiki Trailblazer
Kelsey worked as a sommelier in Vancouver before packing it all up for London in 2015. She made her name as a bartender at the multi-award-winning Dandelyan while juggling Trash Tiki – a project that took her far and wide promoting the anti-waste movement with partner Iain Griffiths. Last year, Kelsey returned home to Canada to open her first bar, Supernova Ballroom.
LCW Maestras
As co-creators and owners of the globally envied London Cocktail Week, Hannah and Siobhan have worked with the great and good of the UK bar industry. And everyone in between. Now in its eleventh year, LCW is an integral part of the London hospitality calendar for bartenders and consumers alike. These Girl Gang advocates can usually be found supping martinis in W1, always wearing black.
The Godmother of Whiskey
Fawn is an entrepreneur, historian, New York Times bestselling author, TED speaker, and the CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, which she launched in 2017 and has catapulted to historic success with an all-female leadership team. In March of this year, Fawn was added to Endeavor’s board of directors, alongside some guy called Elon Musk – no biggie.
Norwegian Maverick
Marit, a native Norwegian, has been working in the bar industry since the age of 19. A former event and club manager for some of Oslo’s biggest venues, she’s now the Trade Activation Manager at Pernod Ricard Norway, a position she’s held for the past six years, alongside managing the rum, tequila, and mezcal portfolio. Marit loves snus and Negronis and speaks better English than us, which isn’t saying much, to be honest.
Tjoget Titan
Hailing from the southern town of Karlskrona, which is split across several islands with the pleasingly Swedish-sounding names of Trossö, Saltö, Sturkö, Hästö, Långö, and Aspö, Hedda started her hospitality career in the third-worst McDonald’s in Sweden. She ultimately decided bartending was a better fit, working her way up in some of the country’s best bars before settling in at Stockholm’s internationally renowned Little Quarter at Marie Leveau. Now at 50 Best ever-present Tjoget, she splits her time between bartending and consulting, yet still thinks McDonald’s is better than Max Burger, which, for those who don’t know, is completely and utterly wrong.
Educator Extraordinaire
Hannah is one of the key spirits educators at the WSET in London and the founder of The Mixing Class, a company dedicated to education within the drinks industry with a focus on fostering diversity and socially responsible hiring practices. Clocking in at 21 years of service to the cocktail & spirits industry, her journey has taken her from a teenager pulling pints in a harbor-side tavern in Cornwall to making fancy drinks for the cognoscenti in some of the world’s best bars.
Cocktail Queen of India
As co-founder of India’s award-winning Cocktails & Dreams Speakeasy Haryana and Sidecar Delhi, Minakshi began bartending over 15 years ago before making the move to marketing and brand management with Diageo and later Pernod Ricard. Alongside multiple national awards, Sidecar was named India’s Best Bar by Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2020 – a highlight of an otherwise dismal year. Happier behind the scenes than in the spotlight, Minakshi is a force to be reckoned with, and if you’re asking, she’ll have a Margarita every time.
PR Powerhouse
Sacha is a publicist at New York-based PR firm Rachel Harrison Communications. Originally from the Lake District, Sacha studied in London, landing a job at London Cocktail Club in their early days of huge growth (not that they’ve slowed down since). In 2015, Sacha moved to the big apple, working with clients across the lifestyle and hospitality sectors and living with some really cool flatmates, one of whom definitely isn’t writing this.
The Potty-Mouthed Maestro
Paul Mant has worked in the bar industry for nearly a quarter century, during which time he has become an expert in both drinking and swearing. Known as much for his various side hustles – Rematch, The Alternative Bar Awards, and Dibby Dibby Soundsystem – as his actual career, Paul now lives an envious lifestyle in sunny Sydney, a fact which he will happily remind anyone in a WhatsApp group chat with him. If anything, Australia has only improved his swearing, but tragically, he now thinks Tim Tams are better than Penguins, which is very, very wrong.
Karaoke Queen
Bartender, writer, and activist Ash (she/her) made her way to NYC via Austin, Seattle, and her hometown of Vermilion Bay, Ontario. She’s honed her skills at some of NYC’s most notable bars, including BlackTail, Dear Irving, and Clover Club, and when she’s not slinging drinks, you’ll find her singing karaoke and planning adventures with partner Chris.
Foraging Fanatic
Nick Strangeway has worked at the top end of the bar industry for over 30 years. Bearded father of twins, co-founder of Hepple Spirits, co-host of Kitchen on the Edge, forager, part-time curmudgeon, and misanthrope, he has helped shape the modern London bar scene, even though he spends a lot of time pretending he hasn’t. Nick has won a few things, created a few things, run a few things, and opened a few things, and now spends his time residing in Denmark, fermenting things and doing a good impression of Captain Haddock.
Scottish Sensation
Proudly and undeniably Scottish, Craig Harper pulled his first pint in his parents’ Inverness pub. Despite running away to join the Marines, hospitality continued to call his name, and he returned home to work in some of Scotland’s best bars, as well as with brands including Bacardi and Martin Millers. A WSET scholar, Craig is currently the Captain of Bars and Pubs for Fever Tree and lives in a Hobbit House in Cornwall with his mermaid wife and three kids. Fucking aye!
Colemans Academy Founder
Sydney bartender Paige began her hospitality career as a waitress. Fast forward a decade, and she’s worked in some of the city’s best bars as both a bartender and a manager, most recently at the world-famous Bulletin Place. In 2015, Paige launched Colemans Academy – an events and education platform created for women in hospitality. Her plans for world domination have been put on pause, but make no mistake – it’s happening.
Rum Evangelist
Everyone’s favorite West Londoner, Sly, has owned Trailer Happiness since 2012, which is a lifetime in bar years. A rum and tiki advocate, Sly worked as a promoter and DJ before taking the step into full-blown insanity. He runs a tight but notoriously fun ship and can usually be found waxing lyrical on his favorite spirit, holding court in Notting Hill, or introducing you to everyone and everybody, because if you didn’t know, everyone knows Sly.
The Stalwart
Dave started his hospitality career in the late 90s at the iconic Harts Restaurant, which has since shut down. He went on to spend many years behind the bars of the Loft, Saltwater, and Popolo, which have all since shut down, and the legendary Brass Monkey, which he maintains should be shut down. Post-lockdown, you’ll find him and his impressive beard waxing lyrical about all things malty and hoppy at Junkyard, where the owners aren’t optimistic about the future.
Nightjar Mastermind
Former teacher Edmund had little experience in hospitality prior to opening Nightjar, named 3rd best bar in the world by 50 Best in 2012. Alongside partner Rosie Stimpson, Edmund opened Oriole in 2015 and Swift in 2018 – while we all sat around scratching our heads, wondering how do they do it. Edmund is a lifelong Arsenal fan and is very good value at a party – invite him and see for yourselves.
Queen of Innovation
An Oslo native, Monica spent time at Pollen Street Social and Himkok before opening Tayer + Elementary with her partner Alex Kratena in 2019. That same year, Monica was named International Bartender of The Year by TOTC and Bartenders’ Bartender by World’s 50 Best. Monica has her own liqueur, Muyu, co-created the digital platform Back of House, and the Pour Symposium series, and was named, alongside Alex, as Class Magazine’s Innovator of The Year 2020. The hardest bio to summarize in 50 words because she’s done so damn much.
Sustainable Superstars
Michael and Sarah are the founders of Citizens of Soil, a single estate extra virgin olive oil that supports independent farmers, showcases terroir, and invests in healthy soil. And that’s not all they do – Michael founded the award-winning Maverick Drinks and is an advisor to food and drinks startups, while Sarah heads up marketing at the social enterprise provenance.org, a software for communicating sustainability with proof, and is a member of Women in Olive Oil. You can get 10% off their products with the code discard10
